A red double-deck bus exploded while traversing Lambeth Bridge, causing panic in London. With the Paris explosions in November 2015 still fresh in the minds of people as the Islamic State made true its threat to hit European cities, it was not surprising that Londoners would have thought the jihadists are in Britain.
However, it turns out the bus blast was just for an action movie of Chinese actor Jackie Chan for the film “The Foreigner.” MP Nigel Huddleston immediately tweeted to assure London residents that the explosion is not a terror attack but merely a movie filming, reported ABC.
Ahead of the explosion, the film’s producers had tweeted that the blast is controlled and operated by the special effects team. The Port of London Authority also closed the bridge as part of the precautionary measures to ensure the safety of people near the span.
Likewise, the Marine Policing Unit tweeted, “Don’t be concerned if you hear or see explosions on Lambeth Bridge today, filming is taking place including loud special effects.” London authorities also placed road signs and notices of the filming and that controlled explosion would happen.
However, the blast was nevertheless too realistic for many Londoners who recalled the bombings in 2005 which killed 52 people. Many Brits still tweeted their anger at the movie stunt.
Matt Coleman complained that the notice only said the bridge would be closed and not a bus would be exploded. Anders shared that he woke up to an explosion and posted a photo of the red bus on the bridge.
Luke Dowding described the sound he heard while walking past the closed bridge as “a fecking huge bang.”
Besides Chan, “The Foreigner” also stars Brit actor Pierce Brosnan, more known for his portrayal of agent 007 James Bond and Remington Steele on TV. The movie is scheduled to be shown in later 2016.